What's On — SymphonyHallFoyerBars events

Rush Hour Blues - Annual Poll Winner's Concert
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Fri 26 Mar 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

The annual audience poll celebrates the diverse range of artists who perform at Rush Hour Blues. The winner's concert sees one lucky group take to the stage for a second time. Presented in association with Birmingham Jazz.
Arun Ghosh Sextet
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Fri 9 Apr 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

Conceived in Calcutta, bred in Bolton, matured in Manchester and living in London, Arun Ghosh’s musical vision and vocabulary reflects his rich geographical heritage. His Indo-Jazz Sextet play original music of South Asian origin with a contemporary jazz attitude, rocking urban beats, and the passion of punk. Sweet and timeless melodies give birth to soaring improvisations and raag explorations, driven by a heady mix of dub-reggae bass, tabla trickery and ferocious drum explosions. _‘What is this fiery music and where does it come from?’_ *Metro* _‘Extraordinary charisma and musicianship and a consistently riveting compositional skill’_ *Jazzwise* _‘A charismatic figure with a future’_ *The Guardian*
Mid-day Mantra - Sanchita Pal
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Sat 10 Apr 1:00pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

Mid-day Mantra is a new free series presenting music from Mother India to uplift the spirit on a Saturday lunchtime. Escape the hurly-burly, as once a month we present outstanding Asian artists from the UK and the Indian subcontinent in relaxed, informal sessions. Chill out, take your shoes off, close your eyes and experience the richness and variety of Mother India’s musical heritage - with a few surprises and fusions thrown in for good measure! The Mid-day Mantra series opens with the magical singing of North Indian classical vocalist Sanchita Pal, who has performed extensively in India, Europe and the UK. Her voice has been used for a number of programmes by Channel Four, BBC TV and All India Radio. She is accompanied by internationally renowned tabla player Sarvar Sabri.
*Sanchita Pal* _Indian vocals_ *Sarvar Sabri* _tabla_ Tbc _harmonium_
Rush Hour Blues - Face to Face: Pascal Schumacher & Jef Neve
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Fri 16 Apr 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

Two great European players come to Birmingham as part of their ECHO Rising Stars tour: Pascal Schumacher from Luxembourg on vibes and Jef Neve from Belgium on piano.
N.O.M.A.D. English Originals Weekend & Rush Hour Blues
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Fri 14 May 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

Birmingham-based N.O.M.A.D. kick off English Originals Weekend with their uniquely enjoyable brand of folk-fusion. ‘The most enjoyable thing to happen to Donington Le Heath since Richard III slept there.’
Folk4Free English Originals Weekend 2010
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Sat 15 May 2:00pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

An afternoon of free folk music, curated by Moseley Folk Festival. *Dave Boddison* has been writing music for ten years and performing for seven. His solo acoustic sound hovers in the realms of ambient folk. 23-year-old *Abie Budgen* combines psychedelic, roots and blues sounds with finger-picking. As a child, *Deborah Hodgson* earned her first guitar by washing cars. Although not the most glamorous start to a career, she has now performed in festival fields, castles, a cathedral crypt and a major arena tour supporting 10CC. _‘Fantastic voice’_ Nick Britten, Daily Telegraph *Goodnight Lenin* caught the attention of audiences in Birmingham after releasing a YouTube video of a simple acoustic performance in which they sat perched on the counter-tops of their kitchen. The group attribute their sound to Bob Dylan and Elvis Perkins, mixing folk with a heavy American influence. 2010 is set to be a great year for the band as they supported First Aid Kit on the Birmingham leg of the duo’s UK tour and will be releasing their first limited edition single in the summer. Yet despite this, they can still be found performing amongst the pots and pans in kitchens. Growing up listening to Abba and Queen, *Megan Henwood* first performed at the tender age of nine. Turning eighteen she played her way round the world, singing to crowds in Venice, Thailand, India and Malaysia. After falling in love with Nepal, she has returned to Kathmandu twice to record with leading Nepalese musicians Nirmal Kulu, Binod Katal and Shyram Saram Nepali. In 2009 Megan won the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Musician of the Year Award.
2pm *Dave Boddison* 3pm *Abie Budgen* 4pm *Deborah Hodgson* 5pm *Goodnight Lenin* 6pm *Megan Henwood*